CLEVELAND (AP) – Zack Greinke pitched seven shutout innings for his second win since the All-Star break and Emil Brown homered off unlucky Cleveland starter Kevin Millwood, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 4-0 victory over the Indians on Tuesday night.

Greinke (3-11) allowed four hits while improving to 2-0 in the season’s unofficial second half after dragging into the break with a 1-11 mark. The right-hander walked none and struck out three.

Ambiorix Burgos worked the eighth and Mike MacDougal the ninth.

Brown hit a two-run homer in the second inning off Millwood (3-9), who again didn’t get any run support from the Indians. Cleveland has been shut out seven times this season, including three times in the past six games.

The Indians, who have lost 10 of 12 since July 5, have scored just two runs in Millwood’s four starts this month. He came in with the unfortunate distinction of getting the least run support of any pitcher in the majors with at least 10 starts.

Cleveland is averaging just 2.53 runs for Millwood.

During the game, the Royals announced they had traded utilityman Tony Graffanino to the Boston Red Sox for minor league pitcher Juan Cedeno and outfielder Chip Ambres.

Jason Dubois went 0-for-3 and struck out twice in his debut for Cleveland. He was acquired in a trade late Monday from the Chicago Cubs for Jody Gerut.

Greinke only had to work out of trouble twice as the Indians got just one runner to third base against him.

Millwood’s defense let him down in the second when left fielder Coco Crisp dropped a sinking liner hit by Matt Stairs. Brown followed by ripping an 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall for his ninth homer and a 2-0 lead.

Millwood kept it a two-run game until the seventh when the Royals scored two. Mark Teahen hit an RBI single and John Buck reached on an error by third baseman Aaron Boone before David DeJesus hit an RBI double to end another disappointing result for Millwood, who signed a one-year free agent contract with the Indians.

He allowed two earned runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings, the 12th time he has gone at least six innings. The Indians are 2-10 in those starts.

Notes: DeJesus is batting .459 (17-for-37) during his 10-game hitting streak. … Indians DH Travis Hafner remained sidelined with dizziness three days after being struck in the face by Chicago’s Mark Buehrle. Hafner said he feels fine until he begins to exercise and then gets woozy. … The Royals have homered in a season-high eight straight games, their longest streak since 11 in a row last Sept. 17-27. … Graffanino was pursued by the Red Sox when he was a free agent after the 2003 season. … Dubois also inherited Gerut’s No. 9 as well as his locker stall. … Indians GM Mark Shapiro doesn’t yet know if he’ll be a buyer or seller as the July 31 trading deadline looms. “I hate to emphasize the significance of anything that happens in a short period of time,” he said. “But based on how we play, and how we play alone, as the deadline approaches, we’re going to have to make some determinations regarding our team.” … Ambres will join the Royals in Cleveland on Wednesday. Cedeno will be optioned to Double-A Wichita.

AP-ES-07-19-05 2157EDT


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